Tag: Apple

I learned about Apple’s change to Game Center – a social network for iOS apps. My iPod Touch (second generation) is no longer excluded from the fun. With my poky 8GB device, I could partake of this online gaming experience. Ah, but there still was a barrier to surpass. I wasn’t quite sure how to get started. I had seen the Game Center app before, but I didn’t know how to download it to my iPod Touch. I wanted to secure “Photics” as my login name, as I’m planning to be quite active in this new gaming arena.

I remember watching a history show about the gold rush. I learned a valuable lesson. A lot of people didn’t get rich during the gold rush. The ones that did, it was usually the people selling the shovels to the diggers. Today, Commove launched. I’m incredibly proud of this game. I think it’s awesome. But as I was trying to promote it, I was reminded of that historic lesson. While checking the HTML code on the Commove iTunes pages, “nofollow” hyperlinks were revealed.

Wow, what speed. For about two years, the “Course Correction” project sat on the back-burner. But in a little over two weeks since I started using GameSalad, my game is on the App store. I’m impressed with the quality of this App. This is one of my best projects ever. The game has good graphics, great sound and the presentation is professional. Apple seems to have picked up their game too. I submitted my App on Friday. By Monday my game was available for sale. For only 99¢ you can download this game to your iPhone or iPod Touch. If you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, a browser version should be available in the future. This is the start of a new era for this website and I’m really excited about it!

Considering the frustration that I experienced while developing iPhone / iPod Touch apps, I’m not a big fan of Apple. However, I do like new gadgets. I had seen the hype about a new Apple tablet and I decided to check it out. Surprisingly, I was impressed. The iPad looks like a fun device – great for Internet browsing, watching movies, reading books and playing games. The price is pretty good too. The basic model is only $499. That’s not too bad for an Apple product. I like it. I’m not sure if I’ll actually buy one though, as I have a pretty good laptop, but the unveiling has re-energized me. I’ve been inspired to try Apple app development once again.

I had read the legends of what it was like to develop for Apple’s iPhone / iPod touch. The word is that Apple’s program can be quite lucrative, but also quite strict. I wasn’t even in the program yet, but I already learning about how ridged the rules could be. I suppose it’s my fault. I did make the harder choice. I had the easy option of releasing programs as “Michael Garofalo” but I wanted “Photics” to be my developer name. Building a brand, especially with Apple, requires extra effort.